Pull Me Back
by Regal Assumption
Summary: After a horrible break-up before college, Ron finds himself living a life bigger than he ever dreamed after finding his restaurant is a huge success. However, even with all the success, he still finds his heart being pulled back to where he started. No S4


**Pull Me Back**

Kim smiled sadly at her family as she prepared to board the plane, which would take her back to Venice, her new home. The tweebs were silent as she made her departure rather than plotting on how to destroy the airport with their latest invention. Ann Possible gave her daughter a quick squeeze along with her husband before watching her disappear into the crowd.

Jim frowned at the notion of his sister returning to her husband of one week. Sure, she always went back to Italy after holidays for four years to finish college, but he always thought she'd return to Middleton afterwards. She _belonged_ in Middleton. Not some snooty place like Venice where battling bad guys would get you arrested by the _Carabinieri_ (2) for destroying a column built centuries ago. He could recall some memorable times at the mini-golf course where him and his twin had demolished half the holes with their sister when they fought to shrink Ron from his orange mutated form.

"Kim! Wait!" he shouted, before realizing his sister was gone for possibly a year or more.

Tim looked at his green-wearing half with sad eyes. He felt the same and he knew Kim did too. She loved Middleton more than anyone; that's why she always fought so hard to protect them. Plus, it almost seemed like the crime rate of mad scientists and villains had gone up once they all realized their old arch-nemesis would be out of commission due to the wedding band on her finger. A year ago, they had only felt slightly uneasy after meeting their soon-to-be brother-in-law, unlike the churning feeling they currently carried in their stomachs.

Niccolo Costa. While the Italian man had treated them respectfully in front of their parents, but once he was clear of the emerald-eyed-woman's gaze, he treated them like peasants. However, neither of them uttered a word about it to Kim or even when they were located in the same building. It was obvious their sister was head-over-heels for the model's chiseled features and exotic persona. Both of them enjoyed tormenting her, but never did they want to see her hurt.

Despite their efforts, Kim was hurt regardless due to Ron's absence at her wedding that a week ago. Nobody could blame him though; he had every right to refuse the invitation. At least in everyone's eyes except Kim's. She seemed convinced it was a mutual break-up during the duo's freshman year of college. To the rest of the Possible family, it was obvious the poor boy was hurt.

When the Possible family returned home after dropping both Kim at the airport and attending the tweeb's soccer games, they were pleasantly surprised to see a familiar blonde's silver convertible, and a man leaning against it with a smile.

"Ron!" the twins cried out in unison as they went to greet the successful corporate mogul of several Mexican fast-food chains.

"Ronald, what a surprise! I thought you'd be at the headquarters." James Possible asked the young man who was currently distributing souvenirs from his recent travels to the twins.

Ron put a hand behind his neck with a slight smile, replying, "I moved HQ to the Middleton branch. Being across the country wasn't doing it for me."

The graying father of three smiled at this. Unlike his daughter, the man before him had a desperate need to be home, coming to visit twice every month from his New York branch. Ann put a hand on Ron's shoulder motioning for them to all head inside. "How about you catch us up over some coffee?"

"That'd be badical."

Once the adults had all sat down, Jim and Tim wasted no time showing Ron their new model rocket they made for Rufus to pilot the next time they visited. The naked mole rat popped his head out of the coat pocket of his best friend's jacket to take a good look at the cockpit. "Uhuh." he squeaked, using his claws to jam the helmet on his bald head before jumping inside.

Ron laughed as they rushed out the back door hoping to get three or more test flights in before Ron and Rufus had to leave.

"You just missed Kimmie, Ronald. We dropped her off this morning, before Jim and Tim's soccer game when you arrived." James explained, while they were on the topic of his daughter's visit.

Without batting an eyelash, the young man merely smiled and nodded. "Actually I saw her when she arrived in Middleton. I was heading back to New York to deal with some final issues on the relocating sitch, so I didn't get to talk to her at all. I'm glad to see she's doing well with Nicky boy." he said, using the nickname their daughter's husband despised.

Ann was a brain surgeon and knew how a person worked almost as well as she knew how her husband or her sons thought. Ron was no exception to this rule, and through his smile, she could obviously tell he was still pained at the mentioned of his first love's name. "So, Ron," she said to change the subject, "How's your job?"

Almost as if grabbing a life-preserver after getting tossed into an uneasy sea, he replied immediately, "Great! I even bought out Bueno Nacho a few days back!" There was something that stirred in his brown eyes at the mention of his and his old flame's hangout. "It's staying Bueno Nacho though; it has too many memories to give up if I change it to another Cha Cha Chimerito. Plus, I'd hate to fire people. I try to avoid it as much as possible."

James grinned at him. It was a known fact that business was a cruel field, requiring an empty heart and a steel fist, but the man in front of it had defied logic by using his compassion to his advantage. "That's good to hear, Ronald. No doubt Kim would be disappointed if you acted like every other businessman."

"It's the Ron Stoppable motto: never be normal!"

--

Like all of his other visits to the Possible household after high school, Ron could only stay for three hours at best before returning to work. While he had plenty loyal employees, he also knew those loyal employees had a life and family beyond work unlike him. No matter how much he needed the extra help, it was against his nature to ask for it.

"C'mon, Buddy. Unless you want to stay with Jim and Tim for tonight? The Ronman's cool with that."

Rufus was hesitant on replying. Aside from him, his best friend spent most of his nights working in solitude. Ron smiled at his old friend before reaching into his coat pocket and placing the rodent into Tim's open palm. "I'll be back after my board meeting, Buddy. Have fun."

With a groan for his master, Rufus watched as the car in the driveway drove down the street back to it's home at the parking lot of a rich building.

Tim, seeing the obviousness of the pet's depression, patted the naked mole rat's head with a smile. "C'mon, Jim and I have a mission tonight. You can come with us." Smiling at the opportunity for some adventure, Rufus readily nodded, following the more responsible of the twins back to the command center.

"What's the sitch, Wade?"

--

After finishing the last of his reports and glancing at the stock market prices, Ron sat down at his long dining table not even accompanied by his faithful pet. Every night, Ron made his own meal for two reasons, one: to practice his cooking skills, and two: it was the biggest quality difference between him and Kim. He wondered to himself if his old GF ever learned the art of cooking, but shook his head at the thought. While Kim's motto was "She can do anything", she also could not be able to grasp the fine art.

The smell of the meal was enrapturing and with a trained nose, the scent of lavender was isolated. His Pasta Kimberly had won praise from all of his professors at the culinary school he attended, for its uniqueness as well as its blend of modern and traditional Italian flavors. Ron kept a straight face through the entire grading period to restrict his own tears. The day he presented it was the same day as his best friend's wedding in Italy.

That was undoubtedly one of the hardest times Ron Stoppable had ever faced, including the 'mutual' break-up, when Kim left for college in Venice, and when he was getting beaten down by other restaurants during the time he first established the Cha Cha Chimerito.

He frowned when he noticed the chicken slightly over cooked and the excessive basil and lavender that he accidentally added. Despite the boasting he often did about his steel stomach that could withstand three meals of Kim's cooking, his heart wasn't into the food. The normally savory and slightly sweet pasta dish tasted like ash on on his mouth, pushing him almost to the brink of hurling up dinner and lunch.

"Everyone has off days," Ron muttered to himself while he threw away the rest of the food into the garbage and put his plate in the sink. "Today is just one of mine."

He had lied about just seeing her when he was returning to New York. He saw her this morning when she was going back to Venice too. What was worse, though, was that he could've easily grasped her thin wrist and started a conversation; neither of them were in a rush. His heart seemed to cringe at the sight of her flippy auburn hair and the bright emerald eyes, preventing him from reaching out.

His thoughts seemed to stop in its tracks when the sound of the Fearless Ferret theme song began to emit from his phone. "Hello?"

"Ron?" said the worried voice of Ann Possible.

"Mrs. Dr. P? What's wrong?"

"Kim's plane just crashed. She's in the hospital right now."

--

So many thoughts fluttered in and out of Ron's mind at that moment. A plane crash? Kim's? Was this possible? The girl that could survive death rays of all sorts and killer creatures of all types facing her first near-death experience due to a plane crash? Ron couldn't even count how many times they had flown a plane or sky dived during their teen years.

"Is she alright?" he asked, his voice wavering.

"She's not in a critical position, but it doesn't look like she'll be waking up soon. She's on a lot of painkillers; she was trying to save all of the passengers first."

That was just like her. The _her_ that he grew up and fell in love with, not the _her_ that lived and breathed the social food chain while breaking his heart at the same time.

"That's great. Can you call me when she wakes up, Mrs. Dr. P? I wanna make sure this isn't another brain-eraser-thingy episode again." he replied lightheartedly.

Ann smiled to herself. "Sure, Ron. Good night."

When Ron fell asleep that night, all he could dream about was his junior prom and how that all shattered. Breaking-up seemed to be the best to option to Kim and it only seemed right if he went along with it. That's what sidekicks do. So that bright day, Kim approached him cautiously, not even using the words, "We have to talk." And as much as she tried to lessen the blow, it broke his heart into a million pieces.

The next morning, the impending doom of his board meeting caused him to trudge through his shower and breakfast slowly. The other board directors were a lot of old men that were experienced in managing a business as well as close advisors Wade had hired for him. None of them would be trying to backstab him unless they knew how to disarm the McHenry Laser Grid. When he entered his office, he was greeted by his personal secretary with a smile, "Morning, Mr. Stoppable."

He groaned, "Mr. Stoppable is my dad, Julie. Just call me Ron." The dark-haired woman was his newly appointed secretary once he decided to migrate to Middleton and she had yet to accept his Essential Ronness. "Yes, Mis—Ron." He flashed her a bright grin before stepping into the dreaded office for four hours.

"Bueno Nacho... Stat!" he moaned to the nearest person as he crawled out of the room, his eyes dilated, and all life drained out of him. Julie seemed slightly frightened as she rushed to make a To-Go order at the nearest Mexican food establishment. "Wait, Julie, how about you join me for lunch?"

It would've been rude to refuse her boss, plus it was obvious there was no other intention aside from a quick meal to get his mind out of work. "Sure." With another one of his bright grins, he lead her to the basement parking lot to his convertible where they drove to the nearest Bueno Nacho down the streets. There was a reminiscent look on her boss' face as they stepped inside and walked towards the counter. She was surprised to see that everything was still running smoothly even though there was a change in ownership. She was almost sure that Mr. Stoppable would've changed it into another Cha Cha Chimerito.

"Ron! I mean—Mr. Stoppable! You're in Middleton?" said a familiar, glasses-wearing manager.

"Yeah, I'm staying here for good though, Ned. And just call me Ron. You've known me since high school. Anyways, can I have a naco combo and please grande size it and a chimerito combo?"

Ned nodded as he inputed the order. "7.43, Ron. And who's she?" he whispered, pointing to Julie.

"My secretary, Julie. Julie, this is Ned, he was my old boss when I worked at Bueno Nacho during high school and an old friend."

Julie extended her hand to the other employee. "Julie Logan. Nice to meet you." Ned responded in the like, before handing the two their meal. "Ron, is there something wrong?" she finally asked when her boss began to eat the taco and nacho combination with grace. Ron looked up at the secretary with saddened brown eyes.

"How'd you guess?"

"You're old secretary, Annie, briefed me on some of your habits. She said that if you don't start scarfing the food down at 80 bites per second, there was something wrong."

Ron laughed at this. His old secretary, Annie Richards, was one of the most capable secretaries he had the pleasure to meet. She acted like his 'Kim' and pushed him forward as well as providing support and the aid he needed to start his company. He felt horrible for leaving her in New York, but not after giving her a promotion as the head of the New York branch.

"So, what's up?" Julie asked, concern mixing into her dark eyes. She brushed back a strand of loose hair from her ponytail as she leaned in closer to get a better look at his expression.

"You know Kim Possible?" he started. She nodded; of course, every girl knew the famous teen hero Kim Possible. "She and I were friends and that led to us dating after the Diablo sitch right through senior year. Then when we saw I'd be going to NY and she'd be in Venice, she wanted to break it off so we could explore out of the world we were so used to." Julie heard the deep sadness in Ron's voice as he explained his past. She wondered if Ms. Richards knew of their employer's pain. "I went along with it so KP and I could still be friends. I couldn't live without her, even if I had to stand by her when she got married to that Italian model. But I couldn't bear to watch it happen, so after that, I never talked to KP again. But last night her plane crashed and my Ronness is pulling me back to her. I can't deny that."

"So you're scared." she put simply.

Ron was a little stunned when she had summarized his entire problem in one sentence. The blonde nodded, running a hand through his mussed up hair. "I knew there was a reason why I hired you."

A smile spread across the woman's face, before turning serious again as she took a good look at him. "Ron, you are one of the most successful businessmen in the world. You've figured out your own problems ever since you started this business and no doubt you'll be able to solve this one. Now finish that naco and let's get back to work."

With the small amount of encouragement given to him, he scarfed down the rest of his meal in record time as he ran out to meet the old Bueno Nacho CEO with his loyal secretary. "Thanks, Julie. I needed that."

"No big." she replied, with a grin of her own.

--

James Timothy Possible never saw a more loyal friend than that Ronald Stoppable. After a long string of meetings, the slightly disheveled fast food tycoon reported faithfully at his sleeping daughter's side. However, he wondered to himself how Ron would take to meeting Kimmie-cub's husband. Niccolo had arrived that morning while going in and out to attend photo shoots that were located at Lake Middleton.

"Hey Mr. Dr. P!" Ron called out as he came back from another of his brief meetings back at HQ. His tie seemed loose and his hair was slightly more unorganized than usual. It was obvious that going back and forth between a job was taking a toll on the young businessman, but his ever present secretary seemed to help him cope. "Just finished up with another board meeting. Looks like clear skies."

"That's great to hear, Ronald. Kimmie-cub hasn't woken up yet, so how about you go down to the food court and get your secretary something to eat."

"We're fine, Dr. Possible. We stopped by at Bueno Nacho on our way here." Julie replied monotonously. James nodded uneasily as he took another peak at his still daughter. Jim and Tim were working on a mutant strain of flowers that could change colors depending on the amount of sunlight, but not just your average colors either. They were bright and vibrant, the colors Kim loved.

"Hey, Julie, you can go home." James turned to look at Ron who had a hard expression on his face.

The dark-haired woman nodded gravely as she turned around and walked the other way. Her heels made a distinct clacking sound against the tile floor, sending chills down James' spine. She was not one of the happiest women he had ever met and it was obvious she disliked being at the hospital while Ron tended to Kim.

Seeing the discomfort on the man that acted like a father to him, Ron placed his hand on his neck while smiling awkwardly. "She's just a little tweaked. Don't worry about her; she's really a kind person."

"Alright, Ronald. I trust your judgment. Have you met with your parents lately?" James asked to change the subject.

Ron nodded. "On my free time, when I'm not here. Haven't gotten to see Hana though, she's always been at school." He pushed past the pale door as he sat down in the stool next to the unconscious patient. Jim and Tim, sensing that he wanted some time alone, paused the work on their latest project to exit the room. Rufus who was fixing the mechanism from the inside, sensed this too, returning to the outside and jumping onto to Tim's shoulder. Giving a grateful look to them, he let out a deep sigh. "It's been years since I've last seen you. Congrats on the wedding. Heard Nicky-boy is as popular as ever."

There was no response. Never did he wish to see those beautiful green eyes more than now. He stroked Kim's fiery red hair tenderly, bringing several strands to his lips, kissing them softly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't go. I was really busy that year finishing up culinary school and expanding the Cha Cha Chimerito. Did you hear about Bueno Nacho? It's mine now, thanks to Mr. Smarty's help. Starting the Cha Cha Chimerito two years ago was the one smart decision I made, after I got another check from my naco royalites. And I'm staying in Middleton, unless I have a business trip of course, but those are getting kinda rare. But that means I can stay by your side more, make up for the lost time. It'll be like if I was Bonnie when you and her got stuck together during that one mission with Dementor. Remember?"

--

Kim felt sore and lightheaded. All she could remember was a burst of flames coming from the back of the plane and how she instinctively rushed into action. Once she had successfully rescued all of the passengers, she jumped off just in time to avoid the wrath of the fire. Wait! How long had she been out? Her body felt limp, but there was a soft sensation on her forehead. It was warm and gentle. When was the last time she felt something like that? There was a voice that seemed to grow stronger the more she became aware of herself.

--

Still silent. Ron clasped his hands tightly and brought them to his forehead. "Please, KP, wake up. This isn't funny anymore! I miss you. More than ten summers of Camp Wannaweep or anything! I can't live without you KP."

--

_Ron?_ Was Ron here? Was she in a hospital? Well, that made sense seeing as how drugged she felt at the moment. He just said that he missed her. Why couldn't she wake up? She wanted to hug him tightly and tell him they could work something out. As much as she _liked _Niccolo, she was almost positive there was something going on between him and his coworkers. It was child's play to hide something from a person if they didn't understand your native tongue.

Suddenly Ron stopped talking. There was a distinct screeching noise from a nearby chair. "Hello, Mr. Stoppable." she heard with a slight Italian accent. Niccolo! Kim was well-aware that her best friend had never met her husband. The one time she had brought him to the States a year before their marriage, Ron was in New York doing overtime at the school to earn his degree.

"Nicky-boy, how's everything? Heard you met someone down at the lake," Ron replied with an angry tone.

Soon she began to hear a string of curse words Niccolo had used on more than one occasion at her. However, she was more than surprised when Ron responded in fluent Italian with anger twice as fierce.

"_Non si parla mai KP così! Lei è una buona donna e sarò maledetto se io ti permettono di camminare in tutta la sua!_ (2)" Then that was followed by a loud crash and several bangs. Finally, she was able to open her eyes, and while blurry, she could make out two figures: Ron and Niccolo.

Niccolo clutched his nose in agony while Ron was in a fighting stance, but bending over, no doubt trying to mask his pain. It was a known rule no model was allowed to injure their face, especially as someone as popular as Niccolo Costa. "You'll be hearing from my lawyer!" the Italian man barked as he angrily ran out of the room, before pausing, "And tell _Kim Possible_ we're through! No use for a whore like her anymore!"

"That's it!"

Ron nearly lost it until he heard a familiar redhead's voice shout out, "Stop it!"

"KP?" he turned around to see Kim Possible sitting up straight in her hospital gown, gaping at the two men. "You're awake!" However, she snarled at him when he dared to approach. Apparently he had yet to be forgiven for skipping the wedding. "My bad."

Niccolo smirked. His wife would give that buffoon what was coming to him. "We're through." he heard instead, directed towards him. A look of shock passed across his face, before it turned into anger. "The papers haven't been signed, but consider this marriage annulled."

"Like I needed you anyways!" Niccolo stormed out angrily, still clutching his nose.

Finally Kim felt free, as she turned to smile at her old BFBF. "Long time no see." she said to him, motioning for Ron to sit next to her.

"Y-yeah. How are you doing, KP? I'm sorry about, Nicky—I mean, Niccolo. I know you loved him."

Something in his voice made Kim's heart break. She shook her head slowly at him. "I didn't love him." she corrected, softly. "I was just being an idiot, Ron. It was a mistake, I shouldn't have ever married him."

"It's not official until it's on paper," he interjected. "You never made a mistake."

"Yes, I did. I broke up with BFBF and _traded up_." Kim spat. "How'd you find out he was two-timing?" she asked when there was an awkweird silence.

"I had my secretary, Julie, do a follow up on him. She used to really look up to you and was more than happy to help me." While he explained how he had uncovered the crime, Ron's confident gaze never left hers. Even when he was talking about another woman, he made it obvious the only one on his mind was her. "Are you okay? I heard you were going back to the whole save the world sitch."

"So not the drama, Ron! Saving a plane full of passengers from a burning plane is no big for Kim Possible."

To this, he grinned brightly just as if they were teenagers. "Glad to hear you're back, KP."

"Yeah, for good. I'm not going back to Venice. I'm staying right here in Middleton, where I belong."

"And I've got your back. I'm sticking to what I know too. No more New York." Immediately Kim placed a hand on top of Ron's supportingly. But there was a distinct gleam in his eyes as he continued, "I'm one of the big dogs now! The Mad Dog's here to play!" Kim giggle at his antics, proud as ever of her Potential Boy. Ron smiled back at her, before standing up from his chair. He gently released her hand and kissed her head gently. "Get some sleep, KP. I'll be back later."

"Wait, Ron—"

However he beat her to the punch. Stopping at the door frame, he turned to look at her with warm chocolate eyes, asking, "Kim Possible, will you give me another shot at being your boyfriend?"

Kim didn't know whether to laugh at how well he knew her or cry because he was giving her a second chance. After owning one of the fastest growing fast-food franchises in the world, she was well-aware of the fact he could have any girl of his dreams. "I'd love to. Friday, Bueno Nacho and a movie?"

"That sounds badical." he whispered gently before closing the door.

* * *

**A/N: How'd everyone like it? This is my second story on FF so please try not to massacre or flame me too bad. Thanks and see you on my next story!!**

**DISCLAIMER: KP BELONGS TO DISNEY. **

**THE CHA CHA CHIMERITO AND NICCOLO COSTA IS MINE.**

_(1) The Italian police_

_(2) Don't you ever talk about KP like that! She's a good woman and I'll be damned if I let you walk all over her!_


End file.
